A group of fully armed Uchiha, their Sharingan gleaming, leaped and bounded across Konoha's buildings, heading towards the Hokage Building.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, you traitor who betrayed the village, come out here!"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is not fit to Hokage!"
"..."
As the Uchiha approached the Hokage Building, a series of shouts and curses, seemingly from nowhere, erupted.
Upon hearing this, the Anbu members who were originally guarding in the shadows immediately made eye contact with Uchiha Makoto, who was leading the group, as soon as they showed themselves.
Uchiha? So many Uchiha?
Upon seeing the menacing Uchiha, the Anbu members involuntarily froze.
In a daze, the figures walked straight past them and headed towards the Hokage Building behind them.
A wave of condemnation, the fearful Anbu, the Hokage in his room, and the universally adored Uchiha...
Everything seemed so unreal and magical; for the first time, the Uchiha Clan, carrying the hearts and minds of the people, even quickened their pace.
And so it wasn't until they reached the Hokage Building, where the Uchiha Clan and the Anbu Ninja were facing off, that things changed.
"Lord Cheng, the Lord Hokage requests your presence!"
An Anbu Captain first bowed slightly, then turned to the side in a gesture of "please," making a very polite gesture.
Glancing at the serious atmosphere around him, Uchiha Makoto nodded in agreement, then turned and sheathed his sword, heading towards the Hokage's office.
He wanted to see what Hiruzen Sarutobi could pull off!
Inside the Hokage Building, Uchiha Makoto and Hiruzen Sarutobi sat silently on either side of a desk.
Looking at Uchiha Makoto in front of him, Hiruzen Sarutobi a deep drag on his pipe.
To ensure the conversation went smoothly, Hiruzen Sarutobi even went so far as to shut out both Hokage Advisor from the Hokage Building.
He knew very well that because of the events on the Sand Ninja front, his Hokage Position was no longer secure.
But if those two elder advisors were to appear, it wouldn't just be a matter of not being able to stay in jail!
He wouldn't dare entrust his life to those two guys!
"Actually, the Uchiha and the village could have avoided this situation."
Seeing that Uchiha Makoto remained silent, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to speak first, breaking the silence.
However, as he expected, Uchiha Makoto shut him up the moment he opened his mouth.
"So, this is why the Lord Hokage chose to make our Uchiha Clan a political sacrifice?"
"What? Could it be that the one who delivered the Lord Hokage's orders that day wasn't actually from the Anbu?"
Uchiha Makoto's sarcastic tone made Hiruzen Sarutobi an awkward laugh.
He's in a situation where he can't express his suffering!
That damned Danzo not only spread false information in his name that affected the overall war situation, but his foolish disciple even took pity on him and "helped" him take the blame!
God knows what he was like when he saw Jiraiya describe him as "soft-hearted," "acting on impulse," and "acting on impulse."
The person's face is flushed!
Looking at Jiraiya before, he was definitely a direct disciple, a golden treasure trove, which not only suited his personal taste but also helped him secure his position Hokage!
Looking at it now, wow, it's like a latrine with gold trim—it doesn't hurt anyone, but it's definitely disgusting!
Now he both likes and dislikes Jiraiya.
"Ahem, there might be some misunderstanding here. It's just that my instructions weren't conveyed properly by my subordinates."
Hiruzen Sarutobi met Uchiha Makoto's cold gaze with a dry smile.
His original plan was simply to act as a good Samaritan and facilitate the signing of an alliance agreement between the two countries after the Uchiha Clan had completely suppressed the Sand Village.
This not only provided an ally for the isolated and helpless Konoha, but also respected the face of the Land of Fire Daimyo. In terms of national strength, it even elevated the Land of Fire Daimyo to a higher position than the Daimyo of the Land of Wind.
Perfectly a win-win situation for everyone!
And now?
'That damned Danzo!'
Thinking about all the mess he'd made of cleaning up Danzo's mess these past few days, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but curse under his breath.
If something happens, they'll really curse me out!
But since Daimyo and Kage are on the same level, Daimyo can only be cursed.
"Misunderstand?"
Uchiha Makoto's lips curled into a contemptuous smile.
"Since the Lord Hokage says it's a misunderstanding, then I'll assume it is! But..."
"The mistake has been made! How can the Lord Hokage possibly deny it now?"
The slowly rotating Sharingan brought an oppressive aura of ocular power, making Hiruzen Sarutobi feel pressure for the first time in a long time.
How many years ago was the last time I felt oppressed?
Was it being hunted down by Kinkaku Ginkaku twenty years ago? Or was it Madara Uchiha riding the Nine-Tails to challenge Senju Hashirama thirty years ago?
Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his eyes, he couldn't figure it out either. He only knew that the boy in front of him was much younger than those strong people, and at sixteen or seventeen years old he was already a powerhouse who was unparalleled in the Shinobi World.
So... what about the future?
A ninja's peak growth period is generally before the age of twenty; after that, most ninjas' growth rate slows down significantly. How strong will this young man be when he's twenty?
'Well!'
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly and made his choice.
"I have nothing to say about these things! All I can do now is try my best to compensate the Uchiha for their losses!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi his head and bowed in apology.
This was the greatest sincerity he could offer; any more, and he feared that after his soul returned to the Pure Land, he would be beaten to the ground by the second generation!
"An apology? Compensation for losses?"
Uchiha Makoto scoffed, his gaze sweeping over Hiruzen Sarutobi with an increasingly icy intensity.
"Can you afford the compensation for destroying one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages? Or are you going to use the supplies that the frontline shinobi should have had to buy the Uchiha's forgiveness?"
"Then, when you lose the Ninja War, you'll push the Uchiha out? Let the Uchiha help you defeat all your enemies, so you can maintain your last vestige of reputation?"
With each sentence Uchiha Makoto spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew more somber, before finally returning to calm.
Seemingly intrigued, Uchiha Makoto got up and strolled to the window, gazing at the Kage Rock as he spoke.
"Before me, Uchiha with my strength had been betrayed twice."
"The first time the Uchiha suffered betrayal from the Sage of Six Paths. That battle laid the foundation for the destruction of the Ninshu and marked the beginning of the Warring States Era."
"The second Uchiha suffered betrayal from Senju Hashirama, resulting in the first defection under the ninja village system. The First Hokage was mortally wounded and died, thus beginning the Fourth Shinobi World War."
As he spoke, Uchiha Makoto turned to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi with great interest. Seeing the astonishment and confusion on Hiruzen's face, he smiled with satisfaction and asked the last question.
"So, what will I bring?"
After Hiruzen Sarutobi a meaningful look, Uchiha Makoto returned to the Uchiha group, who were still locked in a standoff.
Every Anbu who brushed past him was struck by Genjutsu and collapsed to the ground.
Uchiha Makoto glanced longingly at the Hokage Building, which only had four floors but had trapped countless Uchiha in the original story, and then issued a command in a deep voice.
"Fire Style: Prepare!"
"Put!"